Big Valley

Browdy Smith raised his ice tea cooler to all the Albertans who helped during the June flood in the south but were now looking to forget, just for a few days. Out in the dusty Big Valley Jamboree campgrounds, the 20-year-old Calgarian found himself connecting with people across the province with the same sense of camaraderie he experienced as a volunteer in High River in June.

Calgary contractors are planning for a surge in renovations of flood-ravaged homes this fall while dealing with rising costs and a tight labour market. “There’s not enough legitimate companies out there to deal with the amount of work that is coming,” said Bruce Hopkins, owner of the Remodelers and host of a local home-improvement television show. “You’ve got to be very, very careful on who you’re hiring.”

It’s been six weeks since flooding devastated several southern Alberta communities, and the cleanup is still far from done for some. Samaritan’s Purse, which previously signed up 4,000 volunteers who have cleaned out more than 500 flood-damaged homes so far, is asking for 300 additional volunteers between now and Aug. 10.

Flood-ravaged homeowners will need to relocate wiring, seal basements against seepage and install sewer backup prevention devices if they want government help the next time water levels surge. Provincial officials estimate it will cost less than $10,000 to protect the average residential property from being inundated again, an expense that Alberta’s disaster recovery program will cover along with damages from uninsurable losses.

HIGH RIVER — Steaming mad High River residents opened the valve and vented their frustration Wednesday night at a town hall meeting hosted by Wildrose Leader Danielle Smith. A crowd of roughly 250 residents met at the Grandstand Rodeo Grounds, where they lined up to pitch dozens of questions to the head of Alberta’s Official Opposition.

The province’s health minister admitted Wednesday that High River’s publicly-run hospital will lose a third of its long-term care beds. But Fred Horne said the 25-bed reduction will only happen next year after a private firm opens a new supportive living residence that will expand the flood-ravaged town’s capacity to care for ailing seniors.

Alberta didn’t receive money from Ottawa for flood mitigation following the 2005 High River flood because the provincial government didn’t make it a priority, a federal official says. “Infrastructure Canada did receive a request for funding assistance for flood mitigation strategies for High River in 2006. However, funding under programs at the time had already been committed to other priorities requested by Alberta,” Infrastructure Canada spokeswoman Jen Powroz said Thursday in an email.

After Slave Lake settled nearly all its post-wildfire accounts with the Alberta government, everything major was covered except for one expense that could force the town to drain its reserves. Medicine Hat secured provincial cheques for all $41 million in infrastructure restoration after its 2010 flood, but the city paid itself for around $9 million of flood-protection upgrades that went beyond basic repairs.

In the wake of the largest flood in Alberta history, the Tory government announced Sunday a sweeping plan to move homes and businesses out of the areas most in danger and to flood-proof other areas at risk. But many of the details of the province’s initiative have yet to be nailed down, and the impact on communities is still uncertain.

Tears and hugs were served up alongside pancakes and sausages Sunday at the premier’s stampede breakfast in flood-ravaged southern Alberta. Premier Alison Redford and 5,000 Albertans — many of them homeless flood victims — wore their hearts on their sleeves on an emotional day much unlike the premiers’ Stampede whoop-ups of the past.

Alberta’s new associate minister in charge of rebuilding efforts in High River was contrite Saturday when he accepted blame for problems getting Calgary volunteers to the flood-wrecked town. About 2 p.m., the province suspended shuttle service between Calgary and High River.

One week after Calgary Zoo officials saved a mob of meerkats from fast-rising flood waters, the surviving ring-eyed creatures welcomed the birth of a healthy litter. On Saturday, the zoo shared details of the dramatic rescue leading up to the birth of five pups.

One of the country’s largest insurers says it will pay flood-ravaged Albertans for damages caused by sewer backup despite the fact that risk is not covered. An official with RBC Insurance said Thursday that clients could receive up to $50,000 for repairs depending on their policy limits.

The City of Calgary plans to lift its state of local emergency Thursday morning but, for many people, the cleanup and recovery is far from over, the mayor said. “There are a lot of our neighbours and friends who have been absolutely devastated by this,” said Mayor Naheed Nenshi in Wednesday’s afternoon update from the Emergency Operations Centre. “Their personal recovery will be long and difficult.”

Hundreds of volunteers from across Alberta heeded a clarion call to aid in the recovery of High River as officials trumpeted recovery efforts and the re-entry of another section of the town. With the reopening of central High River, almost three-quarters of the town has reopened, allowing 6,000 residents to return to their homes and businesses to begin cobbling their lives back together.

I was on vacation when the floods hit southern Alberta and I watched the drama unfold with a mixture of horror and admiration — horror at the severity of the damage and admiration at so many Albertans who rallied to help. I was even impressed by the response of the Alberta government that has worked tirelessly for people whose homes have been literally washed away.

The Calgary Zoo laid off 287 staff members Wednesday as it faces $50 million in damages and $10 million in lost revenue after devastating flood waters washed over the facility last month. The zoo will reopen in phases starting July 31, and will not be fully operational until late November or early December. With reduced operations, there isn’t enough work or money to support a full staff, said zoo spokesman Lindsey Galloway.

Calgarians planning to trade galoshes and work boots for dress loafers Tuesday are being told it’s not yet business as usual in the city’s downtown. Mayor Naheed Nenshi, who himself plans to don a suit and tie for the first time since flood waters hit 12 days ago, declared Sunday the city has ended calls for downtown employers to limit operations to essential staff.

CALGARY - Enbridge Inc. has restarted its Wood Buffalo pipeline between Fort McMurray and Cheecham, shut as a precaution following a leak of another pipeline that uses the same corridor to transport oilsands production from northern Alberta.

The City is continuing to warn people to stay away from the river after fire crews had to perform several rescues during last night’s Canada Day fireworks show. “There were rescues performed by the fire department last night as a result of people being on or in the river,” said Calgary Emergency Management Agency director Bruce Burrell.

An uneasy mix of typical suburbia and ghost town greeted the first group of High River homeowners returning to their flood-ravaged town. While nearly all streets remained empty on Saturday, about 5,000 residents returned after provincial officials enacted the first of a three-phase re-entry plan, allowing owners of 1,817 northwest homes to see for themselves the devastating water damage in some parts of town and, in other cases, untouched properties with merely overgrown lawns.

As High River evacuees who live in the northwest corner of town were allowed back into their homes on Saturday, media were given a tour of the areas still underwater, Sunshine Meadows and the Hamptons. The town is hopeful that this area will be accessible in three to five weeks, but from the looks of this water, it could be even longer. Residents in the northwest part ofr town needed to go to the Rodeo grounds where they register at a welcoming centre andare given a Red Cross package with cleaning supplies and info on what shape their homes are in, sometimes devastating news.

Calgary and Canmore residents displaced by flooding can pick up pre-loaded debit cards as early as Sunday. The cards — which provide $1,250 in cash per adult and $500 per child — were promised by the province to help evacuees pay for immediate housing and day-to-day expenses while ousted from their properties.

Alberta’s river forecasters knew two days in advance that heavy rains would likely hit the foothills of the Rockies, but didn’t sound the alarm until after the skies opened up on the eve of the province’s worst flooding. Staff at Alberta’s River Forecast Centre did give officials in Calgary and High River a heads up Monday that intense precipitation of up to 180 mm was expected further west, but it was Wednesday evening before they issued the first high stream flow advisories and rang the municipalities back to let them know that the rains now falling were higher than typical.

The province is launching a flood assistance program for Fort McMurray residents who saw their homes ravaged by heavy flooding in early June. The government announced Saturday residents who suffered uninsurable property damage can apply for funding to cover repair costs starting July 2.

The Calgary Real Estate Board is urging people in the midst of residential real estate transactions to consult their lawyers to find out the impact of the devastating floods that hit the city. “Those who have closings or sales were affected by the flooding in Calgary and surrounding areas should call their lawyers as soon as possible for guidance. All questions must be referred for a legal opinion and addressed on a case-by-case basis,” said the board on its website.

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